The Union Bluehttp://www.theunionblue.com
Wed, 27 May 2015 13:00:31 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3A Union in Bluehttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/26/a-union-in-blue/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/26/a-union-in-blue/#commentsTue, 26 May 2015 16:00:05 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7770You might have noticed a slowdown on our site over the past few weeks. It’s time to let you in on the why: we’ve been working on something big. Here’s the news: The Union Blue and BS Hockey have now merged! Together, we’re known as Buckeye State Hockey. We’ve been working hard to combine the […]

]]>You might have noticed a slowdown on our site over the past few weeks. It’s time to let you in on the why: we’ve been working on something big. Here’s the news: The Union Blue and BS Hockey have now merged! Together, we’re known as Buckeye State Hockey.

We’ve been working hard to combine the two powers, and we have big plans ahead. Most of all, we’re excited to be under one roof, and ready for a Blue Jacket summer and season ahead!

Maybe this is your first time at the Bloguin site if you’re a Union Blue fan. Will everything be intact? Can we still expect the best CBJ views we’ve grown to know? Or maybe you’re a BS reader. Will the tone change with new voices? Will the podcast still happen?

The blog merger doesn’t change what you loved. Instead, it’s getting everyone under one roof, sharing thoughts and providing all the blog-based coverage you’ve come to expect from each source. If you’ve read either site before, you already know that The Union Blue and BS Hockey featured multiple, distinct voices. Having different authors makes it happen. And that won’t change here. In fact, it’s one of the great strengths of Buckeye State Hockey. Luckily, there is one surefire unifying theme: a passion for hockey, especially in Ohio.

Are you looking for hockey storytelling? Are you looking to dig in deep, and ask questions with us? Do you want to know about prospects, college hockey, and the CHL? Do you want to see a broad perspective on the Blue Jackets?

If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome to Buckeye State Hockey. We’re excited to grow together, and talk hockey with you!

TOP PROSPECT/TOP FORWARD PROSPECT Oliver Bjorkstrand-Portland Winterhawks (stats above)
“The Great Dane” (nickname registered trademark, CBJProspects industries LLC RSVP DVD) earned this award with Falcons leading scorer TJ Tynan as his closest competition. Oliver led all CHL skaters in goals and was the only 60-goal scorer in the entire CHL.

TOP DEFENSEMAN PROSPECT/TOP NCAA PROSPECT
Mike Reilly-Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10) 39GP 6-36-42 +25 44PIM
By earning this honor, Mike potentially keeps our streak alive of an award winner that is no longer a CBJ prospect (fingers crossed). But until it’s official that he’s not signing with the CBJ, he’s ours. Mike led the Gophers in almost every offensive category along with leading the nation in assists and points by a defenseman. Mike was the first defenseman to lead the Gophers in scoring since Mike Crowley in 1996-97.

TOP GOALIE PROSPECT/TOP AHL PROSPECT
Anton Forsberg-Springfield Falcons (AHL) 30GP 20-8-1 2.01GAA .927Sv 3SO
Another award with the winner having little to no competition from his fellow prospects. Anton was one of the AHL’s top goalies and even remained near the top of the AHL’s goalie leaders in goals against and save percentage despite not playing since March 1st due to injury. Next year, Anton should be back in the AHL for probably another year before possibly becoming Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup.

MOST IMPROVED PROSPECT
Nick Moutrey-North Bay Battalion/Saginaw Spirit (OHL) 62GP 25-38-63 +19 54PIM
Nick opened the year by being named the captain of his junior team, the Saginaw Spirit, and put the team on his back picking up 41 points in 36 games before being traded to the North Bay Battalion at the trade deadline where he matched his point total of last season in 32 less games. Nick was a key cog in the Troops run to the OHL Eastern Conference Final and he ended up tied for the team lead in playoff goals. Nick used this successful season to earn an entry level contract in March.

MOST DISAPOINTING PROSPECT
Oscar Dansk-Springfield Falcons (AHL)/Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) AHL 21GP 7-7-5 .880Sv% 3.57GAA ECHL 11GP 1-8 .889Sv% 3.73GAA
Oscar was expected to create a solid rookie duo in Springfield’s net this year with countryman Anton Forsberg but Dansk struggled to find playing time. Forsberg took the reins and Oscar was sent to Kalamazoo in December before being recalled back to Springfield. Oscar’s best stretch came in November when he won three straight starts but he still allowed three goals in all three games. Hopefully, Oscar can have a good summer and bounce back especially with Joonas Korpisalo expected to come over to North America. I was concerned this would make the Jackets minor league creases a little crowded, but it was recently confirmed that Dansk will play in Sweden next season.

MOST LIKELY TO PLAY IN COLUMBUS NEXT SEASON
Despite not having many holes in the forward corps next season, I expect Kerby Rychel and Josh Anderson to get long looks in training camp. Oliver Bjorkstrand could see time in Columbus but more than likely that will come as an in-season callup. He’ll really have to blow Jarmo and JD away in training camp to start in Columbus in October. As for the defense which is expected to be a big area of change in the off-season, Austin Madaisky could get the Cody Goloubef treatment where he would play in more preseason games than most as probably the most NHL ready of the Jackets minimal defensive depth.

It’s been a fun and successful year for the Jackets prospects that started off with a championship in Traverse City and included a player winning his league’s MVP award now we get to the fun part where we add new prospects. We’ll have our normal draft coverage…once I get my good draft guide.

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/22/2015-cbj-prospect-awards/feed/1WHL Final CBJ Prospect Recaphttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/15/whl-final-cbj-prospect-recap/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/15/whl-final-cbj-prospect-recap/#commentsFri, 15 May 2015 14:16:43 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7750Well folks this is it for our prospect week in reviews for the 2015-16 season (chokes up) as the final baby Jacket was eliminated from his respective post-season this week. Peter Quenneville-Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL-Lost Series 4-0) Series Stats 4GP 3-1-4 -2 0PIM Final Playoff stats 19GP 10-10-20 +5 4PIM Peter and the Wheat Kings […]

]]>Well folks this is it for our prospect week in reviews for the 2015-16 season (chokes up) as the final baby Jacket was eliminated from his respective post-season this week.

Peter Quenneville-Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL-Lost Series 4-0)Series Stats 4GP 3-1-4 -2 0PIMFinal Playoff stats 19GP 10-10-20 +5 4PIM
Peter and the Wheat Kings faced off against the Kelowna Rockets in what was a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Hockey League. Quickly, before the series started, Peter and brother John were part of a feature on the fan support in Brandon during the season/playoffs.

Starting off in game one, late in the second, Peter scored when, with the Kings trailing 3-1, he tipped in a Ryan Pilon point shot just seconds into a power play to make it 3-2 in a 4-3 game one loss.

Up next in game two, it was a lot like game one with Peter getting the Kings back into the game after trailing 3-1. Lucas Johansen tried to clear the puck but ended up absorbing a hit and allowing Ryan Pilon to gather the puck and send a perfect cross rink pass to Peter. Peter fired a shot from his usual spot to make it 3-2. Just under six minutes later Peter struck again from…stop me if you’ve heard this from his spot but the puck took a different route. Later, with the Kings on the power play Morgan Klimchuk passed to Ivan Provorov at the point who passed back to Klimchuk. Klimchuk took a shot that was blocked and the puck went to Peter to make it 3-3. Unfortunately, the Kings would fall by a score of 5-3 and Peter was named second star.

When the series switched to Kelowna it was more of the same with the Rockets roaring out to a 4-1 lead before the Kings were able to strike with Peter helping out. In the second, Peter’s line entered the zone and Morgan Klimchuk passed to Peter. He gathered the puck and passed back to Klimchuk who found Nolan Patrick behind the defense with an almost empty net to shoot into. The Kings lost game three by a score of 5-3.

Peter and all of the Kings were held pointless in a 3-0 game four loss allowing the Rockets to sweep the Kings and clinch the WHL spot in the Memorial Cup meaning three of the four spots have been claimed.

In the playoffs Peter led the Wheat Kings in goals, assists and points in addition to leading the WHL playoffs in power play goals with eight of his 10 goals coming on the man advantage.

Due to being drafted from the USHL I believe the Jackets still have time to make a decision on signing Peter but here’s the sticky wicket…he doesn’t have a place to play next year as he was one of the Wheat Kings three 20 year olds. I’m a little biased (pay no attention to the #15 Wheat Kings jersey in my collection) but I think the Jackets should sign Peter because he’s the Jackets best forward prospect on the power play and also earned rave reviews during development camp from Development Coach Chris Clark.

Well, folks for possibly the first time since 2009, the Jackets won’t have a prospect in the Memorial Cup (obviously the draft could change this). I want to thank you for following along the way this year. As always, when the year is done it will be time to put on your best tuxedo t-shirt and settle in for the CBJ prospect awards and after that, it will be the best time of the year THE DRAFT!…I mean the draft – no big thing.

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/15/whl-final-cbj-prospect-recap/feed/02015 Draft Discussion: Q&A with Mark Seidelhttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/14/2015-draft-discussion-qa-with-mark-seidel/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/14/2015-draft-discussion-qa-with-mark-seidel/#commentsThu, 14 May 2015 17:16:35 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7748Hello all! I’m trying something a little different that was inspired by a post over at Leafs Hub. I got in touch with Mark Seidel who is the Chief Scout for North American Central Scouting (an independent scouting service since 1993) and has a vast history of experience including: Former NHL Scout; Minnesota Wild (NHL) […]

]]>Hello all! I’m trying something a little different that was inspired by a post over at Leafs Hub. I got in touch with Mark Seidel who is the Chief Scout for North American Central Scouting (an independent scouting service since 1993) and has a vast history of experience including:

Former NHL Scout; Minnesota Wild (NHL)

Former Assistant GM; Erie Otters (OHL)

Former OHL Head Scout; Owen Sound Attack (OHL)

Former Commissioner; NOJHL

Former NHL Draft Insider; Hockey Night in Canada

Former NHL Draft Specialist; The Hockey News

Former NHL Draft Insider; ESPN

Former National Radio Co-Host with Jeff Marek; HNIC Radio on Sirius & Leafs Lunch

Chief Scout; North American Central Scouting (NACS)

Various National Media appearances including Off the Record on TSN, Sun Newspapers, The National Post &The Globe & Mail

Former Junior A General Manager; Espanola & Sudbury (NOJHL)

I sent Mark some questions about the pending draft for the Blue Jackets and here are his thoughts. Enjoy!

The CBJ seemingly need to restock their depth at defense. Of the top two dmen that they could choose at 8, (Provorov/Werenski) who would you choose if you were the GM?

I would take Werenski. I think he has a chance to be a franchise defender. He has a very complete game and showed this year that he can play against men in all 3 zones. A lot of guys in my business LOVE Provorov but I’m slightly concerned about his ability to defend and although he has elite skills, I’m not sure I’d take him in the Top 10 in this VERY good Draft.

Regardless of position, who do you think is the projected pick for the Jackets?

I think that if Rantanen is there, he will be the guy they select. He is a bit undervalued by North American media but Jarmo knows him very well and he can skate, score and has good size. A great fit for the Jackets.

The Jackets hold the 34th pick in the draft, if a player rated in the first round were to slip that far, who might it be?

If they take Rantanen in the 1st, I could see them looking at a guy like Vince Dunn or Noah Juulsen with their 2nd round pick. They want to play an up-tempo game and both guys can really skate.

Oliver Bjorkstrand was just named WHL Player of the Year. Could you see him making an impact next year or does he need some seasoning in the AHL? What areas of his game need the most development?

Bjorkstrand is a great talent but I fully expect that he will spend the year in the AHL. He just needs to keep getting stronger and continue to develop away from the puck. He has a very bright future with the BlueJackets, however.

Jack Roslovic, a hometown Ohio product has garnered some attention in draft conversations lately. Is that a smart pick for any team? At what round / pick might he make sense? If the Jackets were to use a second round pick on him would it be a mis-spent drafting?

Roslovic showed some of the biggest improvement from the start of this year until now and I think he would make sense at 34 with CBJ. He has really started to assert himself and he is trending in the right direction and his ceiling is still very high so he is a guy that a lot of Teams covet. If he is there in the 2nd, I’d expect him to be in the mix.

What is it about Travis Dermott that makes some people believe he’ll be the steal of the draft?

Dermott is another kid that is really rising. He has become a key cog on the Erie Otters and he has shown that along with his offensive prowess, he can defend enough to play in most situations. He has had some injury issues but his play in the Playoffs has some teams really excited about his potential.

If Mike Reilly was in this year’s draft where do you think he’d be selected and what kind of impact could he make on an NHL Blueline? (hopefully in Columbus)

If Reilly was in this year’s Draft, he would be a Top 15 pick but he obviously will become an Unrestricted Free Agent that has a chance to step right in next year onto an NHL Roster. He may get some seasoning in the AHL but he showed this year how dominant he can be and depending on where he signs, he might just step right in. I don’t expect it will be in Columbus though, unfortunately!

The Jackets early years were full of what amounted to “bad drafts”. To what do you attribute this characterization? Rushed prospects, poor scouting?

There were some poor choices and that combined with a poor Development model really set the franchise back. The Scouts always get blamed for poor Drafts and the CBJ Scouts deserve criticism but once the prospects are selected, the Organization has to put a coherent development plan into place and the Jackets were lacking in that department early on and as a result, the franchise took a while to get traction. Luckily for fans in Columbus, they now have both a good scouting group along with a VERY solid Development Model and you can see the results on the ice.

Based on your experience following Niagra, how would you assess Blake Seibenaler? How is he progressing in his development? How does he measure up as a defenseman both now and projecting into his future?

Siebenaler is a phenomenal skater that has the benefit of learning from one of the best Defensive Coaches outside of the NHL in David Bell. Siebenaler needs to continue to get stronger and learn that “Less is more” sometimes because he can get caught up in trying to do too much and he needs to take care of his own end but his game is continually maturing. He is still some time away from a regular shift in the NHL but his skating is elite and he has a GREAT teacher so I expect him to develop into a top flight Prospect going forward.

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/14/2015-draft-discussion-qa-with-mark-seidel/feed/1CBJ Prospect CHL Conference Finals Recaphttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/08/cbj-prospect-chl-conference-finals-recap/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/08/cbj-prospect-chl-conference-finals-recap/#commentsSat, 09 May 2015 02:16:46 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7739Sorry for the delay folks, it’s been a busy week but we’re back with a look at where the Blue Jackets’ prospects are in the CHL playoffs. We started off the year keeping tabs on 16 prospects across the world, the Falcons (R.I.P. affiliation) and K Wings, and now we’re down to the final lone […]

]]>Sorry for the delay folks, it’s been a busy week but we’re back with a look at where the Blue Jackets’ prospects are in the CHL playoffs. We started off the year keeping tabs on 16 prospects across the world, the Falcons (R.I.P. affiliation) and K Wings, and now we’re down to the final lone player competing for a chance at the Memorial Cup. Let’s take a look at the way the last few weeks treated the baby Blue jackets.

Peter Quenneville-Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL-Won Series 4-1)Series Stats 5GP 3-3-6 +5 0PIMPlayoff Stats 15GP 7-9-16 +7 4PIMPeter and the Kings faced off against the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference Final and the Wheat Kings won the series 4-1. The series opened up in a game one goalfest that the Kings won by a score of 9-4. Peter picked up a goal and assist in the win. The first action for Pete came with the game tied at two when Ivan Provorov dropped a pass back to Tim McGauley (two guys on my CBJ Draft wishlist) who, with three Hitmen focusing on him, found Peter in the slot. Quenneville nailed one home to make it 3-2. In the third, with the Kings leading 8-3, Peter took a pass from brother John and then found a streaking McGauley to make it 8-4 in the 9-4 win.

In game two, Peter kept his goal scoring streak alive. In the first, on a five on three, Peter scored from his normal spot on a cross-crease pass from Morgan Klimchuk to make it 2-0 in what would be a 3-2 overtime win.

Peter did have his five game goal scoring streak snapped in game three – a 2-1 Hitmen overtime loss, But he bounced back in a big way in game four that was another Wheat Kings blowout win. Peter’s big night began late in the second when, after a rebound save by Brendan Burke (Sean not Brian’s son), Peter gathered the puck and sent it down low to Tim McGauley who passed to a streaking Morgan Klimchuk to make it 5-1 Wheat Kings. Just under a minute (58 seconds to be exact) later, Peter started a rush in the Kings’ zone and passed to Klimchuk who skated in and attempted the wrap around against WHL Rookie of the Year Nolan Patrick. The shot was stopped but Peter cleaned up the garbage for a goal as part of five straight Wheat Kings points. Late in the third with the Kings leading 6-3, Peter scored again from his usual spot off a pretty passing play. For his three point game, Peter was named first star in the 8-3 win.

Peter was held pointless in a 8-2 game five win that clinched the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy for Brandon. This is the first time the Kings have made the WHL Finals since the 2004-05 season. That season, the team included Jackets’ draft pick/team captain Tim Konsorada and they faced off against this year’s opponents, The Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets won that series 4-1. This is also the first time in 12 years that the top two teams in the WHL meet in the WHL Final.

Quickly, at the WHL Awards, Peter was the Eastern Conference’s representative for the Brad Hornung Trophy for Most Sportsmanlike Player but he lost the award to Kelowna’s Rourke Chartier (revenge in the Final is coming Rourke).

Nick Moutrey-North Bay Battalion (OHL-Lost Series 4-2)Series Stats 6GP 3-1-4 -2 6PIMFinal Playoff Stats 15GP 7-6-13
Nick and the Battalion took on the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Oshawa Generals, and ended up falling in the series 4-2. Nick was the star of a 6-1 game one and was the only Battalion player with multiple points. In the third period with the Battalion leading 4-1, Brendan Miller skated in on a two-on-one. Nick was the trailer. Moutrey got the puck and scored to make it 5-2. 10 minutes later, Ryan Kujawinski skated in and passed to Nick who hammered a shot home to make it 6-1. Nick was named first star in the 6-1 game one win.

Nick was held pointless in a 1-0 game two loss before doing pretty much all of the work on the game winner in game three. The game was tied at one after the first period but that was all the regulation scoring we’d see. The matchup went to overtime and that was when Nick took a pass from Alex Henriksson and skated down the wall. Moutrey absorbed a hit and went to the net, sending a pass to Kujawinski who got the game winning goal, his sixth of the playoffs.

Nick was held pointless in games four and five – both Battalion losses. In game six, Nick scored what would be the final goal of the Battalion’s season. In the third, with the Battalion trailing 2-0, Nick Paul shot the puck and Jeremy Brodeur stopped it but let up the rebound for Kyle Wood to get a whack at it before Nick put the puck in the net to make it 2-1.

Nick tied for the team lead for goals in the playoffs. This game more than likely ends Nick’s OHL career meaning he’ll be in Lake Erie next season.

Oliver Bjorkstrand-Portland Winterhawks (WHL-Lost Series 4-2)Series Stats 6GP 3-4-7 -1 6PIMFinal Playoff Stats 17GP 13-12-25 +8 10PIM Oliver and the Winterhawks were off to the WHL Western Conference Final for the fifth straight season where they faced the Kelowna Rockets and Oliver was his normal self. Oliver again scored another goal when most fans were probably still sitting down from the National Anthem. Oliver gathered a loose puck at the blueline and skated into the circle snapping a shot to make it 1-0 in a 3-2 game one loss. The goal was Oliver’s 35th playoff goal which puts him second all time for the Winterhawks.

In game two, Oliver picked up an assist on Nic Petan’s very late second period goal that was the game winner in a 3-2 Portland win (you don’t see the assist in the highlights).

In game three, the Great Dane was unleashed starting in the second period when, with the Hawks holding a 2-0 lead, a faceoff resulted in Nic Petan getting the puck. Petan took a shot that was tipped in by Chase De Leo. Early in the third with the Hawks leading 4-1, on the power play Oliver took a pass from Alex Henry with Oliver slammand slammed a shot home – the puck hit the post and bounced off the goalie’s skate to go in and make it 5-1. Four minutes later, two Rockets players misplayed the puck and Nic Petan sent Oliver off to the races on the breakaway. His initial attempt was stopped but he picked up his own rebound for his 13th goal of the playoffs (little wonky on the celebration though boys). Later in the third, Oliver picked up another assist when he sent a shot in front with the rebound going to Paul Bittner who made it 7-2 in a 7-3 game three win.

In game five Oliver picked up an assist on a late third period, game tying goal to tie when he got the puck at the point from Nic Petan and sent it back to Petan who fired a shot to make it 1-1 in what ended as a 2-1 overtime loss.

In what would be Oliver’s last junior game, Bjorkstrand was held pointless in a 8-4 game six loss.

Oliver finishes his career tied for sixth all-time in goals for Portland and 13th all-time in total points. After the season, Oliver was off to Czech Republic to join Team Denmark (and his brother Patrick) in the World Championships. The day Oliver left for Czech Republic was the day of the WHL Awards and boy, did Oliver clean up there. Oliver had already clinched the Bob Clarke Trophy as the League’s top scorer which also made him the WHL’s representative for the CHL’s Top Scorer award but he lost out as Dylan Strome of the Erie Otter (OHL) and Connor Garland of the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) each had 129 points. Oliver also won the league’s plus/minus award being a plus 60. The big award though for the WHL is the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy for “player of the year”. Oliver was the Western Conference’s representative. Oliver, to the shock of only a few won the award making him the second Blue Jackets draft pick to win the award since Kris Russell after the 06-07 season. You can see Oliver’s pre-taped speech here. Oliver, like Nick, is off to Lake Erie next year and is likely to be one of their go-to offensive weapons.

That’s it folks, we’re coming to the end of the line. Our next wrap up will be either a final recap for Peter or a Memorial Cup primer. The QMJHL teams for the tournament are already set as the host, Quebec Remparts, are in the finals and they are playing Rimouski Oceanic.

After the CHL season is officially over, we’ll have our annual prospect awards then we get to the fun part of the year – the draft.

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/05/08/cbj-prospect-chl-conference-finals-recap/feed/0Meet Your Monsters (The CBJ Perspective)http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/29/meet-your-monsters-the-cbj-perspective/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/29/meet-your-monsters-the-cbj-perspective/#commentsWed, 29 Apr 2015 22:10:27 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7725Hello, all! I was getting my offseason workload sorted out (the offseason is my busy season) and I thought “hey! why not introduce the CBJ and Monsters fan bases to each other along with giving some education on the respective teams to one another. This is the first post of a two part series that will info from the Monsters […]

]]>Hello, all! I was getting my offseason workload sorted out (the offseason is my busy season) and I thought “hey! why not introduce the CBJ and Monsters fan bases to each other along with giving some education on the respective teams to one another.

This is the first post of a two part series that will info from the Monsters fan perspective and the CBJ fan perspective (I know there is already some fan bleed over, but work with me here people). This first one will be for the Jackets fans. The Monsters fans will be later and they get to hear about all the new toys coming to the Q this fall.

Let’s start with a history lesson shall we?

To understand where the team came from you have to go back to the 2004-05 season, when the Utah Grizzlies of the AHL folded and returned the next season as a ECHL team. Then, in the 2005-06 season, the team that was in Cleveland, the Cleveland Barons (still one of my favorite logos ever) were moved by owner Gordon Gund to Worcester, Massachusetts to become the Sharks (what is it with owners moving teams from Cleveland to the Northeast?…too soon?). So, on May 16, 2006 Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert bought the Grizzlies AHL franchise and renamed them the Monsters starting in 2007. The Monsters are named in reference to Bessie – Lake Erie’s version of the Loch Ness Monster.

Looking at the numbers (I swear, the fun stuff is coming), The Monsters play in Quicken Loans Arena and are one of the best teams in terms of attendance in the AHL. They have finished third in attendance in three of the last five seasons and top five in another. Now, due to the logisitical demands of four AHL teams sharing arenas with NBA teams, their schedule doesn’t come out till much later this year (the ECHL schedule is already out for next year). But somehow, the Monsters have already announced six dates: the home opener which is October 16th and games on November 13 and 27; January 22 and 30; and February 5.

2014-15 will be the ninth season for the Monsters in the AHL. In those seasons they’ve made the playoffs once when they lost to a Claude Noel-coached Manitoba Moose team in seven games. The team’s all-time leading scorer is Andrew Agozzino (I’ll wait for you to say “who?!” Google him – he’s an Avs player) who scored 30 goals last year and set a franchise record putting up 165 points in 225 career games. Cal Pickard is one of the team’s top goalies. He tied the team record for wins with 23 last season and he also holds the all-times win mark with 60.

I compared Springfield and Lake Erie’s three seasons before they affiliated with the CBJ and, well, the Monsters were a much better team winning 102 of 228 games with a .521 point percentage. Looking at the Falcons, those three years were at the end of the Edmonton Oilers’ dark days and the team won only 84 of 240 games (they played 80 games instead of the 76 they play now) with a .427 point percentage.

We know the NHL plays games against teams from both conferences but that won’t be the case with the Monsters. First things first, the Monsters are in the AHL’s Western Conference and they play in the Midwest Division. In other words, get ready to hear a lot about the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit), Rockford IceHogs (Chicago), Chicago Wolves (St Louis), Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville)…the old Central Division lives. Those four teams make up 36 of the Monsters 76 games.

Ok now for the fun stuff. First up, the Monsters mascot is Sullivan C. Goal (aka Sully) a Seagull. The Monsters also have the Monster Hockey Girls, and where the CBJ have the Scioto Downs Ice Crew, the Monsters have The Mullet Brothers. These Hanson Brother lookalikes (if you thought mmbop before Slap Shot go to your room) who clean up the ice during breaks. The Monsters also come onto the ice through a giant blow up version of their logo (and for the record, I still think the Jackets need a cannon to skate out through). Doug Plagens is both the TV and radio voice of the Monsters. Plagens began his play-by-play career while a student at Syracuse and filled in for Jackets radio guy Bob McElligott. To close out the in-game entertainment, from looking at the Monsters’ site and from what I hear they put on a great show (I’ll admit it folks, the last time I went to a Monsters game they were playing the then CBJ affiliate Syracuse Crunch in a fight fest).

Three jerseys hang from the rafters in Cleveland but none are Monsters players. The three are Johnny Bower who won 229 games for the Barons and 250 games in the NHL. The second belongs to Fred Glover who, in fifteen seasons with Cleveland, won four Calder Cups and three MVP awards. Glover also scored a career high 107 points in 1960 and retired in 1968 as the AHL’s career leader in games played (1,201), goals (520), assists (814), points (1,334) and penalty minutes (2,402). The final jersey belongs to Jock Callander who played the last seven years of his career with the Lumberjacks and served as a TV analyst/assistant coach (he was busy during games) for the Monsters last season.

Now, for long time followers, you know that jerseys are another thing I love to comment on (owning 117 of them helps). I thought the Avalanche’s maroon would be gone from the current design but, considering how fast this affiliation came together making major changes tough and also since maroon is a Cavs color(they call it wine though) it looks to be staying. Here are the Monsters home jerseys, away jerseys and the jersey it seems most people I talk to like (even if it goes against my stance of hating numbers on the front of jerseys) the team’s jerseys from the Frozen Frontier game against Rochester in 2013, (a game the Monsters won in a shootout). It’s been said a jersey collaboration between the two teams will be happening so we have that to look forward to. The Monsters also have numerous specialty jerseys worn and auctioned every year for various charities including one normally based on either the Browns or Cavaliers.

There you have it CBJ fans, a little lesson on the Jackets new affiliate. Monsters fans you’ll have to wait for a little for your version when we have a better idea of who will be playing in the Q this fall.

]]>Four posts in two weeks? I’m a wild man. Hello all, we’re getting to the end of the line as only three of the four prospects are moving on to their conference finals.

Peter Quenneville-Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL-Won Series 4-1)S
eries Stats 5GP 3-3-6 +5 2PIMPlayoff Stats 10GP 4-6-10 +2 4PIM
Peter and the Wheat Kings took on the Regina Pats in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Final and won the series in six games. Peter was held pointless in the first two games -both of which were Wheat Kings victories. In game three, when the series switched to Regina, Peter scored his second of the playoffs and first since game one against Edmonton. The Kings were trailing 3-1 late in the second when Peter worked from his usual spot and finished off a one timer to make it 3-2. In game four, Peter helped open the scoring when he sent a cross rink pass to Kale Clague whose shot was tipped by Nolan Patrick to make it 1-0. After two Pats goals, Peter scored when Ivan Provorov carried the puck in and dropped it to Eric Roy. Roy passed to Peter who had an almost empty net to shoot into to make it 2-2 in a 3-2 overtime win.

In the series clinching game, Peter was the star and had him securing a point in each of the Wheat Kings wins. First with the Kings shorthanded, Peter gathered a loose puck and skated in to find Nolan Patrick who made it 1-0. After two Pats goals, the duo combined again (but you can’t see Peter’s assist in the highlight). After little brother John scored the series winner in the first round, it wasn now Peter’s turn. John did most of the work by going into the corner and finding a trailing Peter who scored to send the Wheat Kings into a matchup against the Calgary Hitmen.

The Hitmen finished second to Brandon 19 points behind the Kings.

Blake Siebenaler-Niagara IceDogs (OHL-Lost Series 1-4)Series Stats 5GP 0-0-0 -1 8PIMFinal Playoff Stats 11GP 0-1-1 -1 8PIM
Blake and the Dogs advanced to face the top team in the Eastern Conference – the Oshawa Generals and the series probably went as expected for a fifth seed going against the top seed. All of the wins were by more than two goals. Blake was held pointless in all five games. Blake will more than likely be back in Niagara next year as one of the team’s top dmen.

Nick Moutrey-North Bay Battalion (OHL-Won Series 4-1)Series Stats 5GP 4-3-7 +1 4PIMPlayoff Stats 9GP 4-5-9 +3 6PIM
Nick and the Troops took on the Barrie Colts in the Eastern Conference Semifinal and earned a 4-1 series win. Starting off in game one, Nick got North Bay on the board when on a five on three and a half (player with no stick) the Battalion worked a pretty passing play with Nick Paul finding Moutrey in front to make it 1-1 in a 3-2 Colts game one win. The goal was Nick’s first career playoff goal. Nick was held pointless in a game two Battalion win before scoring again when the series shifted to North Bay.

Again, with the Troops on the power play and trailing 1-0, Nick Amadio skated in with Moutrey banging in the rebound to tie it at 1 in a 4-2 Battalion win.

Next in game four, it would be a long one. First Nick picked up an assist on the Battalion’s second goal and actually did most of the work making it happen. He drove to the net and took a shot that a Colt may have got a piece of but Nick absorbed a hit and allowed Nick Paul to gather the loose puck and find Mike Amadio in front for a one timer, making it 2-0. 40 seconds after a Colts goal made it 2-1 Nick scored another one in the series. Out of a board battle, Ryan Kujawinski (even though the announcer said Alex Henriksson) absorbed a check and sent a pass to Nick who fired a shot to make it 3-1. The Colts would score two third period goals to force overtime… and then another overtime. That’s right folks, we got all the way to double overtime before the Troops decided to win it.

In double overtime, Nick took a stretch pass from Breden Miller that led to a two on half (dman too tired to get back) with Nick passing it to Kujawinski to end it. Nick was named second star in the win.

n the deciding game five, Nick picked up more points. Midway through the first period Brenden Miller fired a shot that led to a scramble with the pay by play man thinking Nick scored it but he got an assist on Nick Paul’s goal to make it 2-1. Due to a cross checking penalty at 19:58 of the second period, the Troops opened the third on the power play. It was then that Nick Amadio skated in and shot. The attempt was blocked but Amadio got the puck back and found Nick to make it 6-3 in a 7-5 Battalion win. For those of you scoring at home, that’s the second CBJ prospect to score the series clinching goal.

Up next for the Battalion is a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals with a matchup against the Oshawa Generals. Last year, the Battalion won the series in a sweep. Most of the OHL writers have North Bay winning the series but they make it sound like it may be a war (no pun intended…what? Battalion, Generals)

Oliver Bjorkstrand-Portland Winterhawks (WHL-Won Series 4-1)Series Stats 5GP 5-1-6 +3 4PIMPlayoff Stats 11GP 10-8-18 +10 4PIM 3rd in scoring 1st in goals
For the second series in a row it was a US Division matchup against the Everett Silvertips for the Winterhawks. Oliver had his three game point streak snapped in game one – a 5-3 Silvertips win. In the three games he only collected 10 points (4-6-10). In game two, Oliver was quiet for 80 minutes before scoring the game winner 29 seconds into the double overtime when, off a Nic Petan faceoff win, Oliver deked through everyone in green to score the Hawks first double overtime winner since 2004.

After five days off (thanks to Garth Brooks and a local beer event taking both of the Hawks homes) the series got going again. In the third Oliver was Oliver. He scored two goals just 1:47 apart. First Paul Bittner gathered a loose puck/left puck from Nic Petan firing a shot that Oliver tapped in to make it 3-0. 1:47 later, with the Hawks on the power play, Nic Petan passed to Chase De Leo who found Oliver who fired a howitzer to make it 4-0 in a 5-3 Hawks win.

Game four again went to overtime with Oliver picking up his only assist of the series on the game winner(but it doesn’t look like Oliver touched it in the highlight). In game five Oliver scored two more each about five minutes apart. The first one came in the second but due to a terrible camera man anyone outside of the XFINITY Arena didn’t see it… but you did get to see a Tips player have a hissy fit (haha). 5:21 later Oliver had a two on two but instead, decided to do it his dang self when he fired a shot to make it 3-1 in a 3-2 game five win.

So yes folks, that’s three CBJ prospects all scoring their team’s series clinching goal. Oliver is currently second in WHL scoring while leading the playoffs in goals. The win sent the Winterhawks into their fifth straight Western Conference final against the Kelowna Rockets who they faced in last year’s final with the Hawks winning the series four to one.

The Hawks and Rockets have played in the playoffs four of the last five playoffs with Portland winning the last three. The Rockets loaded up this year adding Oilers first rounder “The Deutschland Dangler” Leon Draisaitl and Jets first rounder Josh Morrissey along with Lucas Johansen of Port Moody, B.C. …why does that last name/city combination sound familiar?

There you have it folks. We’re coming to the end of the line of the season as were down to just three prospects still in it for the CHL, a few kids playing in the World Championships, and, maybe Oscar Dansk if he makes it into a Wings playoff game, (Oscar won his first ECHL game last week).

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/24/cbj-chl-2nd-round-playoff-recap/feed/0Final Falcons Recaphttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/20/final-falcons-recap/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/20/final-falcons-recap/#commentsMon, 20 Apr 2015 13:32:23 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7710Hello all. It’s been a bit since we talked AHL hockey and there’s no real reason for the delay other than the recaps would be Falcons only and would be kinda short. So, without further ado, let’s get going with the final four regular season games of the Falcons/CBJ Affiliation. The Falcons opened this stretch of […]

]]>Hello all. It’s been a bit since we talked AHL hockey and there’s no real reason for the delay other than the recaps would be Falcons only and would be kinda short. So, without further ado, let’s get going with the final four regular season games of the Falcons/CBJ Affiliation.

The Falcons opened this stretch of road games with a stop in Hartford and laid an absolute clunker falling by a score of 5-0. Scott Munroe took the loss despite barely making it halfway through the first period. He stopped only eight of 11 shots before giving way to Joonas Korpisalo who stopped 21 of 23 in his final action of the season.

Next up was a trip to Syracuse for Superhero night so, of course, the Crunch started the kid with Iron Man on his mask, Adam Wilcox. In Wilcox’s first game the Falcons allowed a first period goal before scoring three straight including two by TJ Tynan for his first pro multi-goal game. Josh Anderson scored the other with Sonny Milano picking up his first multi-point game with an assist on a Tynan goal and on the Anderson goal. Scott Munroe had 28 saves in the win.

Next up for the Falcons was a trip into…THE FUTURE!!!! The team loaded up the plane and were off to St John’s Newfoundland (its an hour and a half ahead of Columbus and the eastern time zone). Quickly, on Friday, hours before the game, what had been rumored for a while became fact when it was announced that the CBJ will become the NHL affiliate of the Lake Erie Monsters. You can read my thoughts here.

On to the game action on Friday. The Falcons gave up the first goal in the second but 46 seconds later, Brian Gibbons found Michael Chaput in front to make it 1-1. A minute later the Caps scored and then added another early in the third period to make it 3-1 before the Austrian Bulldog would strike. 1:40 after the Caps goal, Marko Dano got the rebound of a Sean Collins shot and put the puck in the net to make it 3-2. The play was started by a Dillon Heatherington shot who earned his first pro point as a result. The tying goal came from local boy Luke Adam who scored off a pass from Sonny Milano. The game went to a shootout with Tynan and Dano missing and Munroe didn’t stop either IceCaps shooter. In the loss, Munroe stopped 22 of 25.

In the rematch, Trent Vogelhuber opened the scoring when Julien Melchiori tried to clear the puck and it bounced perfectly off Vogelhuber’s stick to go over the IceCaps goalie and make it 1-0. After that the Caps scored three straight before Mike Hoeffel potted one early in the third when he’d pick up a rebound of a Hubert Labrie shot that Peter Budaj stopped. Late in the third on a bit of a scrambly sequence (looked like the puck may have gone offside but wasn’t called), Tynan got the puck and found Labrie who scored his first goal of the season to tie it. In the overtime period, Tynan came out of the corner and tried to shoot but he whiffed on it and the puck went to Sean Collins who had a wide open net to shoot into. Scott Munroe made 17 saves for his 11th win of the season.

With regular season play concluded, for the Falcons to make it into the post season they had to look to the team’s players next year as the new Coyotes AHL affiliate (Springfield) needed the current one (Portland) to lose in its season finale to earn the baby birds a spot. But a goal with 43 seconds put the Pirates into the playoffs and the Falcons onto the golf course.

As for the five year affiliation of the Jackets and Falcons, the Birds went 201-147-21-18 with 147 players playing at least a game with the team. Cody Goloubef was the only player to play at least a game in each of the five seasons and Ryan Craig was the leading scorer during the affiliation. TJ Tynan led the Falcons in scoring and he also finished fifth among AHL rookies for goals and fourth among rookie assists. Sean Collins and Ryan Craig tied for the team goal scoring lead with 17. Despite not playing a game since early March, Anton Forsberg was still one of the best goalies in the AHL and had it not been for Matt Murray he probably had been at least on the All Rookie Team.

As for next year, it’s off to Cleveland for our first year with the Monsters where it could be another young team with Nick Moutrey and Oliver Bjorkstrand possibly making their pro debuts as well as a full year of Sonny Milano. I want to thank all the Falcons fans for following me and I wish you and the Falcons team good luck.

Quickly we have a #ReillyWatch update. At the Frozen Four in Boston, Mike Reilly was named an All American for the second straight season becoming the seventh Gopher all time to be named an All-American multiple times. It also came out that – to the shock of no one – Mike will forgo his senior season to go pro but, because I have to say this, we just don’t know who with. It was also announced that Mike will be part of Team USA competing at the World Championships. Hopefully the head coach of Team USA, Todd Richards can give a bit of a sell job. We could be coming to an end of ReillyWatch though. It sounds like Mike will make his decision after both classes end in early May and the World Championships end. It sounds like Mike is actually warming to the Blue Jackets but my hopes aren’t real high.

There you have it folks! We’re getting down to the end of the line of the hockey season as were down to only three prospects in the CHL playoffs along with a few young guys playing in the World Championships. We’ll have more for you on those players as they progress through the rounds of play.

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/20/final-falcons-recap/feed/0Jackets to Select 8th in 2015 NHL Entry Drafthttp://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/19/jackets-to-select-8th-in-2015-nhl-entry-draft/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/19/jackets-to-select-8th-in-2015-nhl-entry-draft/#commentsSun, 19 Apr 2015 16:01:19 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7704Well, the NHL Draft Lottery was last night and the Edmonton Oilers won the (Yosemite Sam style cursing)…I’m sorry lets start this over. Greetings all. The NHL Draft Lottery was last night and the Jackets stayed put meaning they’ll select eighth in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. This will be the fourth time the Jackets will pick eighth […]

]]>Well, the NHL Draft Lottery was last night and the Edmonton Oilers won the (Yosemite Sam style cursing)…I’m sorry lets start this over.

Greetings all. The NHL Draft Lottery was last night and the Jackets stayed put meaning they’ll select eighth in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. This will be the fourth time the Jackets will pick eighth – the first came back in their inaugural season when they selected Pascal Leclaire. The second time due to a (more Yosemite Sam Cursing) trade by Doug MacLean, I wanted us to stay put at four and select Andrew Ladd but we got Alexandre Picard. The third was traded to Philly in a trade for some jerk.

Now the eighth overall pick hasn’t had many home run hits lately. The last probably was Sean Couturier (who Philly selected with that traded pick). Not counting some of the younger guys just drafted, the last player to go at eight that people have heard of is Devin Setoguchi, and you probably heard of him before his career took a nosedive. I’ve written on what the CBJ should focus on in the draft and confirming their selection order doesn’t change that.

Here are a few options I believe will be available at 8:

Zach Werenski-University of Michigan (Big 10-p.s. save it Buckeye nation)9th Ranked North American Skater
Werenski is the top dman the CBJ will have a chance at and was one of the top dmen in college hockey. He finished second among Big Ten defensemen (17 points behind a certain two-time All-American from Minnesota) and led all NCAA eligible defenseman in goals and power play goals, assists and points. What makes Zach’s success even more interesting is he was the youngest player in D1 hockey. According to the Hockeyprospect.com’s blackbook (my best source), in their 2014 draft guide they talked about kids all the way into the 2016 draft, but only briefly. The Blackbook says that some hockey personnel believe Zach could be just as good as top D prospect Noah Hanifin.

Ivan Provorov-Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)7th Ranked North American Skater
Ivan Provorov led all WHL rookies in scoring and also finished fourth among WHL dmen. Yes, that name screams Russian (because he is) but, unlike our other Russian problem children, Ivan has been playing in North America since 2011 according to Eliteprospects.com. Ivan likes to control the pace of a game and is not afraid to take the puck up the ice. According to the Blackbook “He loses no speed or mobility handling the puck as his hands match his feet as far as skill level and ability.”

Matthew Barzal-Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 11th Ranked North American Skater
There are higher rated players that will probably be there at eight but Barzal has grown on me lately, plus picturing him on a line with Oliver Bjorkstrand intrigues me. Barzal was the top pick in the 2012 WHL draft and is a playmaker with tremendous hands and elite vision. Barzal thinks the game at a much higher level than his peers and attacks defensemen by trying to lure them to him before threading a pass through traffic. Barzal is a capable defender and a knack for stripping the puck from opponents.

There you have it folks – a few guesses at who the Jackets should take in the draft. I’ll be back with my playoff recaps along with my prospect awards and my annual mock drafts (I’m two for 23, but who’s counting?)

]]>http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/19/jackets-to-select-8th-in-2015-nhl-entry-draft/feed/0AHL Affiliate (Finally) Coming to Cleveland http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/16/ahl-affiliate-finally-coming-to-cleveland/
http://www.theunionblue.com/2015/04/16/ahl-affiliate-finally-coming-to-cleveland/#commentsFri, 17 Apr 2015 00:26:06 +0000http://www.theunionblue.com/?p=7698All the talk started on March 18th when Rochester Americans radio play by play man Rob Sanderson tweeted about a four-way swap of AHL affiliates of the Avalanche, Coyotes, Jackets and Panthers…and then it all went away with occasional updates from Aaron Portzline to stoke the fire. The idea went from rumor to likelihood yesterday afternoon with the […]

]]>All the talk started on March 18th when Rochester Americans radio play by play man Rob Sandersontweeted about a four-way swap of AHL affiliates of the Avalanche, Coyotes, Jackets and Panthers…and then it all went away with occasional updates from Aaron Portzline to stoke the fire.

The idea went from rumor to likelihood yesterday afternoon with the Falcons announcing they’ll have a press conference today for a major announcement and then Portzline reported that the Dispatch learned that it will be made official that the Lake Erie Monsters will become the Jackets third AHL Affiliate in franchise history.

Now, what does this mean for the Jackets? It means the team can keep a much closer eye on its prospects and also have easier access to call them up to the big club quickly in case of injury. For those of you wondering what this will mean for Jared Bednar and his staff, all of them will move to Cleveland to lead the Monsters. Similarly, all the Blue Jackets prospects move as well as they are assets of the NHL club, not the Falcons and are “on loan” to Springfield.

As for fans, it appears the Monsters have no trouble drawing a crowd. They currently rank third in AHL attendance according to Sportsnetwork.com.It also means as far as keeping track of games…pretty much the same thing as the majority of AHL games are on Friday through Sunday nights. This will probably lead to at least a few road trips for your humble prospect guru along with adding a few more jerseys to the collection (I may have already bought a Monsters 75th anniversary Barons jersey at a Cavs game).

Speaking of logo/jerseys(those of you that follow me know this is important) I really don’t see them making any major changes other than getting rid of the Avalanche’s burgundy, but I’m not sure if you’d replace it with red or blue. Someone came up with this but…no.

Now if I may put my marketing department hat on, I think the Monsters would be smart to create a ticket packages for those home games when the CBJ are either on the road or off and no playing to try and get more fans into the seats. This move will make for another angle on all the news to keep an eye on this summer.